10,000 Nigerians forced into prostitution yearly in Italy –NAPTIP DG

The Director-General, National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons, Dame Julie Okah-Donli, says over ten thousand Nigerians are forced into prostitution yearly in Italy.

She noted that among those forced to work as prostitutes were victims of human trafficking and illegal migration.

Okah-Donli stated this while delivering a lecture titled, “Mass exodus of youths and national development: A case of Nigeria-Libya-Europe migration trend” at the 20th edition of Ogwa Ika organised by the Onu Ika Nigeria in Agbor, Ika South Local Government Area of Delta State.

The NAPTIP DG said the number was based on the figure released by the International Organisation on Migration.

She stated that although the Federal Government was working assiduously to tackle the menace of trafficking and illegal migration in the country, she called on parents and stakeholders to double their efforts in discouraging young Nigerians from such trips.

She disclosed that Edo, Kano and Delta States were ranked first, second and third respectively as the sources of trafficking in the country.

She said, “The International Organisation on Migration estimates that over ten thousand Nigerians are forced to work as prostitutes in Italy, many of them are victims of human trafficking.

“Delta State ranks third among source states of victims of human trafficking after Edo and Kano states. The task of ensuring adequate protection of our children from trafficking and illegal migration rests on all of us; we must all rise up to support initiatives and efforts geared at making our country safe.”

Meanwhile, Governor of Delta State, Dr Ifeanyi Okowa, who personally attended the programme, decried the ranking of the state as the third highest source of human trafficking in the country.

Okowa said the problem of irregular migration should be collectively tackled by all stakeholders, lamenting that some beneficiaries who had been empowered by the state with starter packs through its wealth creation and empowerment programmes, sold their items to travel to Libya.

The governor said, “We must think together and work together to check human trafficking in Nigeria. How can one spend so much money to go to war-torn Libya or go to Mali? Whereas, nationalities of such countries want to come to Nigeria? Most of those trafficked are never made to know their true destinations, some people are even trafficked for their organs to be harvested or used for money rituals.

“Unfortunately, some children we have trained and empowered with starter parks through wealth creation programmes, sold their starter packs to move to Libya and Mali and got stuck.

“Our parents gave us sound upbringing, but modernity is changing a lot of things. We will talk with Onu Ika to partner with NAPTIP to lead a campaign against human

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